Viroporin activity is necessary for intercellular calcium signals that contribute to viral pathogenesis.

Viruses engage in a variety of processes to subvert host defenses and create an environment amenable to replication. Here, using rotavirus as a prototype, we show that calcium conductance out of the endoplasmic reticulum by the virus encoded ion channel, , induces intercellular calcium waves that extend beyond the infected cell and contribute to pathogenesis. Viruses that lack the ability to induce this signaling show diminished viral shedding and attenuated disease in a mouse model of rotavirus diarrhea.

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation shows disquaramide compounds are a promising class of anti-leishmanial drugs.

An increasing number of treatment failures with current pharmaceutics, as well as a lack of a vaccine, demonstrates the need to develop new treatment options for leishmaniasis. Herein, we describe the synthesis and in vitro analysis of 24 disquaramide compounds targeting the parasite. Of the compounds that were evaluated, six of them ( , , , , , and ) were capable of significantly decreasing the number of parasites by up to 42% compared to the control by day four.

Reovirus: Friend and Foe.

Purpose Of Review: Mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus) is a powerful tool for studying viral replication and pathogenesis. Most reovirus infections are subclinical, however recent work has catapulted reovirus into the clinical spotlight.

Recent Findings: Owing to its capacity to kill cancer cells more efficiently than normal cells, reovirus is under development as a therapeutic for a variety of cancers.

Host and pathogen interface: microRNAs are modulators of disease outcome.

Chlamydiae are a group of intracellular bacterium that infect a range of hosts and are responsible for the most common sexual transmitted infections, which could be the result of a plethora of factors leading to varied pathological outcomes. This review aims to show that Chlamydia possibly manipulates host defenses through microRNAs interaction.

MicroRNAs Modulate Pathogenesis Resulting from Chlamydial Infection in Mice.

Not all women infected with chlamydiae develop upper genital tract disease, but the reason(s) for this remains undefined. Host genetics and hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle are possible explanations for variable infection outcomes. It is also possible that disease severity depends on the virulence of the chlamydial inoculum.